Author's Note: This story is an epilogue to the episode "Engaged to Be Buried" and assumes that the reader is familiar with this episode.

I grew up during the Disney renaissance so, needless to say, I have a soft spot in my heart for fairy tales. I have also enjoyed the works of professional writers such as Mercedes Lackey, Jim Hines and the creators of "Once Upon a Time" who have chosen to retell these familiar tales with their own twists to create original stories. After deciding that this would be a good challenge for me, I have chosen to reimagine the story of Beauty and the Beast set in the Five-O universe. While credit belongs to Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and Disney, please know that I do not follow either version of the fairy tale exactly as instead, I have chosen to take some familiar elements and weave them into a story where Beauty is just as broken and in need of healing and love as the Beast. I hope you enjoy my version of this tale as old as time.

Prologue: The Rose

November 1970

The music was jamming, the beer was flowing and Leon Forrest was on top of the world. Ever since he had returned an interception to score the winning touchdown against the Rainbow Warriors' biggest rival, Fresno State, school had come easy. Girls wanted him, he had an open invitation to any party on campus, and the teachers never said a word if he skipped a class or failed to turn in an assignment. Leon was a football star and enjoying every minute of it.

"Leon!"

Leon turned and saw his best friend Marshall coming toward him with a cup of beer in each hand.

"Looked like you needed a refill."

"Thanks, man," Leon replied before downing half the cup in one swallow; he planned on having fun tonight.

Throwing an arm around Marshall, Leon asked, "Do you see any girls you like?"

"You looking to get lucky?" Marshall asked jokingly.

"I'm always lucky," Leon bragged. The two friends often teased each other about girls even though they both knew that the other hardly ever spent a night alone when they went looking for female companionship. Not only were they starters for the University of Hawaii football team, they were handsome and they both knew it.

Marshall stared in the direction of a group of softball players. "I heard Emily broke up with Scott. That girl has the legs of an angel."

"Go for her." Leon pushed Marshall in Emily's direction and then finished his beer. When he went looking for another he bumped into the person behind him.

"Oh…" the woman stammered. "I'm so sorry."

Leon focused on the student; she was short, wore glasses and was wearing a dress that was way too modest for this party. She had attempted to put on make-up but it looked hideous on her, like someone had a painted on a doll. Though for some strange reason, Leon thought he had seen her before; she must be in one of his classes.

Leon started to walk away but the woman reached out and grabbed his arm. "Leon, wait! I want to talk to you." Looking back at her, Leon was about to tell her to go away but she starting speaking so fast he couldn't get a word in. "I saw you play against Fresno. I thought you were amazing. You are amazing in all of your games. Look, I just want to say I've really enjoyed being your lab partner in chemistry. I've been trying to work up the guts to approach you outside of class all semester."

As she talked, it slowly dawned on Leon that this girl liked him. Leon opened his mouth to assure her that the feeling was not mutual when she held out a rose and said, "I got this for you. Will you dance with me?"

Her eyes were so full of hope, her smile was so genuine and Leon was beyond annoyed at this interruption. He grabbed the rose, dropped it to the floor and crushed the petals with his foot. Then, looking straight into eyes that were beginning to tear, he made his point as cruelly as he knew how. "Where did you ever get the idea that a guy like me would ever go out with a freak like you?"

That solved his problem as the girl disappeared from sight as fast as she could run. Didn't she know that the only reason he tolerated her as a lab partner was because she did all the work?

Marshall called out from where he standing with one arm around Emily. "What was that about?"

"She actually thought I'd dance with a nerd like her."

When Marshall regained his ability to speak, he had to wipe tears from his eyes because he was laughing so hard. "She thought you would be into her?"

Leon rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it."

One of Emily's very good looking friends walked up and placed her hands on Leon's chest. "How would you like to dance with a real woman tonight?" she purred.

Leon smiled; he was definitely getting lucky tonight.

Hung over and feeling like crap, Leon tried to figure out what in world had possessed him to come to chemistry class today. The gong ringing in his head drowned out any words that his professor was speaking and he definitely hadn't completed the assigned readings for the day. On top of that, his lab partner shot daggers at him as he approached their shared table.

Leon had no idea what that could be about; he didn't even reminder the woman's name. She was smart and did most of the work without complaint, which was a perfect situation as far as he was concerned. But today was different for some reason. He tried to think what could have gotten her all worked up but his brain wasn't functioning properly.

When the instructions were over, his partner brought over some supplies and ordered, "Mix the solution like Professor Letestu said and I'll get the rest of what we need."

Before Leon could protest that he had no idea even what solution they were supposed to be making, she stormed off toward the stock room. This was a new development; he really should have skipped class today.

Not wanting to look stupid, Leon looked down at the table and saw that there were two test tubes with a chemical in each and an empty beaker. This isn't difficult, he thought as he picked up one test tube and emptied the contents into the beaker, followed by the second.

When the contents of the second test tube joined the first, it caused an immediate reaction. The liquid boiled and started to rapidly rise. Suddenly, the liquid starting flying out of the beaker and a large glob landed on his face.

The liquid burned; Leon screamed and moved about in pain, his hands knocking the safety glasses he had failed to wear from the table to the floor.

"What's going on here?" their professor cried out as he ran toward Leon.

"I don't know," his partner answered, "I went to get the rest of our supplies and this happened."

Leon wanted to shout that she was lying but he could do nothing but scream. He could feel the acid eating away at his skin as the professor dragged his body toward the emergency shower. The last thing Leon saw before he passed out from the pain was a large grin on the face of his lab partner. Suddenly, he remembered the rose and his refusal.

Leon's last coherent thought was that the bitch had done it on purpose.

Time swirled together in a mixture of pain and drugs, bandages and doctors. Leon knew from the layers of gauze covering his face and the looks sent his way that the damage was bad. His friends from the university never came more than once. He didn't want them here. He didn't want to see anyone. He didn't want anyone to see how that freak had gotten the best of him.

Weeks, months passed; Leon didn't know, he didn't care and the time came for the bandages to be removed. The nurse spoke smoothly as she cut the strips of gaze. She was honest but calm, trying to prepare him for what was coming. But nothing could have prepared Leon for the moment when the nurse held up a mirror for him to look.

The face that stared back at him was one of a beast.